Grant funds research on disability access

The Trace Research and Development Center has received funding for a project to make standard telecommunications systems more accessible for people who are older or disabled.

The National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, U.S. Department of Education, awarded a five-year, $3.37 million grant to work in partnership with the Technology Assessment Program at Gallaudet University, Washington, D.C.

The research program has taken on new significance and immediacy because the Federal Communications Commission recently adopted new regulations that require all standard telecommunications products to be accessible and usable by people with disabilities wherever this is readily achievable.

Gregg C. Vanderheiden, professor of industrial engineering and Trace Center director, will head up the work at UW–Madison. The Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center grant will cover research into technologies including phones, video phones, pagers, messaging systems; telecommunication systems and services including voice mail and interactive voice response systems; and next-generation multimedia telecommunication systems.

Researchers will be looking for ways to make these systems directly usable by people with all types and degrees of disability, and to work with industry and government to put access strategies into place.

Access strategies will include design changes or added features for standard products, as well as ensuring compatibility with current technology such as TTY, assistive listening devices, alternative input devices, and devices with alternate displays.